I move amendment No. 26: In page 31, between lines 32 and 33, to insert the following: “(14) The best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration in the carrying out of procedures in respect of a minor under this Part, in accordance with Article 14(1) of the Eurodac Regulation.”.

This amendment was spoken on briefly by one of my colleagues earlier. It seems reasonable to expect that the interests of the child shall be a primary consideration in the carrying out of procedures in respect of minors under this part in accordance with Article 14(1) of the Eurodac regulation. It is important that the rights of the child are protected. I am interested to know why the Government would not support this amendment.

Senator Boyhan is next but we will have to wait for a change of Minister. We are waiting for the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell.

Before the Minister of State starts, I wish to welcome our visitors to Leinster House. I hope they are enjoying it. It is a very interesting place. I hope they will be back someday.

Some of them do not look like they are of homework age. I am probably being ageist there. If they do have homework, they are off it for the day.

I thank the Minister of State. We will have to wait for the Minister of State, Deputy Dooley.

Senators O’Donovan and Duffy are up next. They have two minutes each in the first round, and in the second, three and a half seconds. We will divide the time evenly.

A video is circulating of four young greyhounds in Parteen, County Clare. The conditions they are being kept in are completely unacceptable. An individual passing by heard the four greyhounds crying and upset, so went in to video them. After the video was circulated, Greyhound Racing Ireland inspected the premises and made a couple of comments but gave the premises the all clear. It is very hard to outline here how bad the conditions were. It was absolutely heartbreaking to watch four young dogs be treated like thi…

I also acknowledge and welcome Mr. Jan Taylor, up from Carlow on the visit. He is very welcome. CBS Westland Row is a great school. It is only a five-minute walk from here. Willie Pearse and Pádraig Pearse were students in the school. It has been there since 1864. It is understandable that it will have a lot of maintenance requirements. As it is a very old building, it does require a lot of maintenance. Half of the boys' toilets in the school are closed because of flooding due to the rain. There is a downpipe that …

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Murnane O'Connor.

I welcome the Cuban ambassador. It is important that he is here in our Parliament. These are worrying times for Cuba and the Cuban people. Indeed, they are worrying times for the entire world with what is happening. It is important that Ireland stands with and supports the Cuban people at a time when they are facing horrendous terror, in effect. The Cuban people were good to Ireland and it is time for Ireland to be good to Cuba. I also acknowledge the very recent passing of Eleanor Lanigan, whom people will have kn…

Every year, Greyhound Racing Ireland is allowed to get away with murder - literally, the murder of greyhounds. Huge numbers are dying or being injured on tracks. Greyhound Racing Ireland is handed millions of euro in taxpayers' money, with no accountability, transparency or business plan and with countless signs that it does not have any interest in spending taxpayers' money wisely or sustainably. It does not appear to have any interest in ensuring that greyhounds are treated humanely. There are significant concern…

I acknowledge and agree with Senator Ahearn's comments on the incredible work the Department is doing. It is under a lot of pressure. I also acknowledge the incredible work Irish diplomats do across the globe and the professionalism they show, day in, day out. I welcome the opportunity to discuss the incoming Irish Presidency of the EU Council, which will begin in July. We are living in unprecedented times, with turmoil and uncertainty. I understand that consultation is ongoing ahead of the publication of the final…

I thank the Minister of State for coming in. Gaelcholáiste Synge will be the vitally important Gaelscoil for the Dublin 2, 4, 6 and 8 area that has long been awaited by the local community. It is due to open at the end of August this year. The establishment of this school is the result of a very long and committed campaign by activists in Dublin city to ensure the students in this part of the city have access to Irish-language education. Despite the school having been established on paper, there has been no clarity…

I thank the Minister of State, but that was somewhat disappointing. The south inner city is in desperate need of a Gaelcholáiste. The community is crying out for it. The Government's approach is falling far short. That is disappointing. There is an opportunity here to purchase the monastery. It would make a huge difference in the long term. Long-term planning is very important. It is disappointing that the Minister will not meet the local campaign group. There has been radio silence. The local group knows the detai…

I, too, express my condolences to the family of Tony McKenna. The Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Deputy Patrick O'Donovan, is sounding more and more like Donald Trump every day. Two weeks ago, he threatened to withdraw funds from innocent clubs because of a small few. He also proposed legislation to ban flares even though flares are already illegal. Now he has claimed Israel is a legitimate UEFA team. This is a bizarre statement. The Israeli team does not conform with its own governing body’s rules…

We move now to statements on special needs assistants. I ask people to stick to their time. Towards the end of sessions, people are being cut short or left without time, so I am going to be very strict - assertive - on time.

Thank you for keeping to your time. I hope all Senators will do the same. I am not looking at anyone in particular.

Is that agreed? Agreed.

Senators Curley and O'Loughlin are sharing time. Is that agreed? Agreed.